Australia Beats World Record For Largest Electric Guitar Ensemble

Over the weekend, 457 guitar-loving Sydneysiders gathered to set a new world record for the Largest Electric Guitar Ensemble, hordes of men, women and children busting out a slick rendition of AC/DC's classic "Highway To Hell" at the Sydney Guitar Festival.

Though the final head-count came a little shy of the organisers' ambitious 500-man concept, an entry fee of $45 meant they managed to net well over the $14,000 target they initially set. In total, a sweet $29,642 was raised and donated to the Australian Children’s Music Foundation.

Official verification from the Guinness World Records team could take up to six weeks, but the performance (led by fittingly-named local group The Choirboys) has easily taken the cake, with the last record (accomplished in 2013 in India) gathering a comparatively meagre 368 guitarists.

Each axe-weilder was armed with a small, battery-powered Marshall MS2 amp to volumise the chaos, with contributors being allowed to keep the kits as a momento for their talents.

“They were tiny amps but they got the sound happening,” festival spokeswoman Tatiana Marchant told AAP. “It was such a great atmosphere.”

Watch all 457 riff-lords beat the record for Largest Electric Guitar Ensemble below!

In this extra sweet edition of Australian Guitar, we take a deep dive into the weird and wonderful world of Australia’s unforgiving new guitar hero, Tash Sultana.

We also riff on the experimental genius of new-wave prog lord Plini, the ever-growing legacy of The Living End and the game-changing guitar tones of The Amity Affliction – in addition to some quality chats with our mates in Halestorm, Alice in Chains, Diesel, Joe Satriani and Muncie Girls.

Not to mention, we’ve packed #129 with stacks of invaluable guitar and production lessons, more gear reviews than you can hurl an overdrive pedal at, and crisp, comprehensive wrap-ups of the 2018 Melbourne Guitar Show and Splendour In The Grass.